Battle of Harlem Heights
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The
Battle of Harlem Heights was fought in the
New York Campaign of the
American Revolutionary War. The action took place in what is now the
Morningside Heights and west
Harlem neighborhoods of
Manhattan in
New York City on
September 16,
1776. The Americans under Generals
George Washington,
Nathaniel Greene, and
Israel Putnam, totaling around 2,000 men held a series of
high ground positions in upper Manhattan against an attacking
British division totaling around 5,000, men under the command of General
Alexander Leslie. British troops made what became a
tactical error by sounding a
fox hunt bugle call while in pursuit, meant to insult the
Continentals, who were in orderly
retreat. This instead infuriated the Americans who galvanized to hold their ground and rallied for victory. The British and
Hessians suffered nearly 400 casualties--about 90 killed and 300 wounded. The Americans had only about 100 wounded and 30 killed, including the Lieutenant Colonel
Thomas Knowlton.
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